Lessons Learned from Data Preparation for Geographic Information Systems using Open Data

Abstract

The use of geographic information systems (GISs) has become widespread in data-driven industries, and they are utilized to visualize various kinds of spatial data using mappings. In addition to the large amount of available open-source GIS software, various types of data (e.g., boundary data for administrative regions, numerical data for individual areas, and data representing the objects on a map) are provided by local governments as open data. However, in many cases, the data have been inadequately maintained. Thus, advance preparation is required to utilize the data effectively. This paper discusses the work required to utilize open data by considering the case studies of Hachioji-city, Tokyo, Japan.